Page 56 of Charlie Takes a Chance

“Good luck with that.”

I smirk back at him. “It’s nothing.” Because it has to be, this magnetic pull I feel toward Charlie has to stop. Maybe I’ll start helping her with the renovations if it means it will get her out of here faster.

I’ll do anything at this point. Because I’m going crazy on this emotional rollercoaster.

CHAPTER 22

Charlie

I only pauseto grab my purse from where it sits at Darlene’s table before storming out into the cold night. As if I could just walk back to the ranch. My dramatic exit lacks pizzaz since Max has to follow me out into the parking lot with the keys.

“Why are you so mad?” Max asks as I stomp out to the truck.

“Me, mad? I don’t know what you’re talking about.” I climb into the truck and slam the door.

Max climbs into the driver’s seat and starts the pickup. “I might not be the most intuitive guy, but even I can know when you’re mad.”

I turn to look at him. “Of course I’m mad! Because you’re acting like there’s nothing going on!”

Max looks at me with a startled expression. But it’s too late. I’m in too deep now. I have to say it. It’s what we’ve been dancing around for a couple of weeks now. I’ve been living in the same house for almost 4 weeks. We’ve been bumping into each other, arguing, flirting, and touching each other. And yet again, my sorry attempt at relationships is jinxed. A man that I am attracted to is too emotionally stunted to say anything about his feelings. This is an unfortunate, reoccurring event in my life.

“What do you want me to say, Charlie?” He asks in a tired voice.

“I want you to admit that you’re attracted to me.”

Max clinches his jaw and stares at me. “It’s not as simple as that, Charlie.”

I fold my arms across my chest. “Then how simple is it, Max? Because I’m not scared to admit I think you’re sexy. I’m not scared to admit I find you attractiveandthat I enjoyed kissing you. I’m not even scared to admit I’ve had fun with you this whole past month. Iamscared of what you’ll do with that information or if I let down my guard with you. I’m always scared when I tell people my vulnerabilities. I’m scared they’ll use them against me or simply use them to feel better about themselves.”

Max shakes his head. “Charlie. I don’t want to hurt you. I don’t want to be another Bryce in your life. It’s why I’m trying to keep my distance!” He adds the last rather heatedly. “We’re both going in different directions in life, and I don’t think I can handle falling for you. Because Iamattracted to you, and I’m unfortunately not the guy who can separate his feelings from his attraction. That’s why I think it would be best if I try to keep my distance while you finish your work.”

I’d like to take a minute and dissect the fact that he wants his feelings and attraction to go together—that he doesn’t want to separate those two.

“Oh, I should have known you had a strong sense of self-preservation. I should have known you would be the one to fight his feelings,” I ramble to myself quietly.

I don’t think Max can hear me over the diesel engine of the truck. “You have places to go, Charlie. And I’m not going to be the one to hold you back.”

“Who says I’m going places?” I demand.

He grips the steering wheel tightly. “I talked with Nash and Magnolia. They said you have a thriving business in Bend. That you’ve talked about bringing on your own crew and are in high demand.”

I stare at him slack-jawed. He’s acting like I’m dreaming of becoming a Broadway star and running away to New York City.

“Even if that’s what I want—and I’m not saying it is—Bend is not that far away. Don’t you just want to enjoy what we have—even temporarily?”

“I’m not a fling kind of guy. I’ve been around long enough to know what I want.”

I nod slowly, his idea of a relationship and what it would entail comes into crystal clear focus. “The picket fence and everything with it.”

“Yup.”

“What makes you think you would hold me back?”

“This is a small town, Charlie. And I don’t plan on going anywhere. Living in a small town has severe limitations. It has to be something that you want to do, not something where you give up everything for a guy you met four weeks ago.”

He thinks I’m being irrational. And maybe I am. Maybe the mistletoe got to my head. Maybe the caffeine high is hitting a little differently tonight.

I don’t even like Max.Why the heck am I talking like we should fight for something together?

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